Fujimaru Kudō
| image = | race = Soul | gender = Male | affiliation = Ichigo's Group | previous affiliation = Gotei 13, Soul Society | profession = Shinigami | previous occupation = Shinigami of the 5th Division | previous division = 5th Division | partner = Matsuri Kudō | previous partner = | base of operations = Karakura Town, Human World | relatives = Matsuri Kudō (Twin Sister) Seigen Suzunami (Adoptive Father) Konoka Suzunami (Adoptive Aunt) | education = Shin'ō Academy | shikai = Ryūjōmaru | bankai = Kokyū Ryūjōmaru | video game debut = Bleach: The 3rd Phantom | media appearances = Video Games Only | japanese voice = Kenji Nojima | english voice = Tony Oliver }} was a Shinigami in the Fifth Division during the time Seigen Suzunami was captain. Appearance Fujimaru has dirty blonde hair with two hairpieces on both sides of his bangs, and the middle on the bridge of his nose. Besides the standard Shinigami uniform, he wears a bright red ribbon in his hair that rests on his left shoulder. Much like his sister, his eyes are bright blue. Personality Fujimaru is very laid-back, as he is known to not take his work seriously, frequently sleeping in and often jokes about not wanting to do his work. However, he cares about his duties as a Shinigami and fight Hollows whenever he is needed. Like his sister, his favorite food is apples. He also holds Matsuri in high regard and cares for her very much. He also highly respects Seigen Suzunami, as he is both Fujimaru and Matsuri's guardian, as well as their captain. He also cares a lot about Seigen's sister, Konoka Suzunami. History He and his sister, Matsuri Kudō, were under an attack from a Hollow when the then 5th Division captain, Seigen Suzunami, saved them. Afterwards, he adopted them into his noble family. After six years of attending the Shin'ō Academy, they joined the Gotei 13 and served under Seigen as ranked officers. They went on several missions before Arturo Plateado invaded the Soul Society. During the final confrontation with Arturo, Fujimaru and Matsuri assisted the captains in fending him off. Plot Bleach: The 3rd Phantom After fending off the Arrancar, Arturo Plateado, Fujimaru and his sister are suspended in time and are transported to the present-day Karakura Town. Fujimaru finds himself alone and confused in the new world where upon he meets Don Kanonji and Ichigo Kurosaki. Also, during this period he happens upon a girl who is neither a Human or Shinigami named Shiyo. After defeating a Menos Grande with Ichigo, he is taken by the substitute Shinigami to Urahara's shop. Fujimaru is surprised to see Urahara in the Human World, initially still addressing him as "Captain" before being told "Mr Urahara" will suffice. Urahara pieces together some of the events that must have occurred in the last battle with Arturo and gives Fujimaru hope that his sister and father are still alive somewhere too. He gives Fujimaru and Shiyo Gigai's to use in order for them go be able to investigate the town and speak to its inhabitants with Kon as a guide (Kon reacting in a perverted way to Shiyo's new Gigai). After familiarizing himself with the Human world Fujimaru is led back to Soul Society by Yoruichi, who is in cat form and not recognized as the former Squad 2 Captain by Fujimaru. They travel with Shiyo to the Soul Society and meet Kūkaku Shiba, who agrees to let them stay as long as Fujimaru helps with the chores and stops Shiyo from "helping" as she ends up causing more damage than good when attempting to help. Without explanation the Shiba residence is attacked by a large amount of Hollows, including a Menos Grande. Kūkaku and Fujimaru go to deal with the threat despite the overwhelming odds. As they are battling, 7th Division captain, Sajin Komamura, appears alongside Lieutenants Shūhei Hisagi and Izuru Kira and assist with the Hollow threat. After dealing with the Hollows the Shinigami are initially skeptical of Fujimaru and his sudden appearance around the same time as the Arrancar, however, Komamura agrees to keep him under his supervision and after assisting the team to protect the Human World advance team from a Hollow attack Komamura brings him to the Captain-Commander. Captain-Commander Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto recognizes Fujimaru and agrees that he can work alongside the Shinigami in an unofficial manner. He is then taken under Komamura's wing. During the time spent around the Shinigami, he is shocked to find that many old friends of his are now high-ranking officers, in particular 10th Division captain, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, who berates him for calling him "lil Shiro". He is also shocked by the news of Aizen's betrayal and Kaien Shiba's death, as both were mentors to him in the past. However, Fujimaru quickly becomes a valued member of the Gotei 13 forces proving to be on par with other seated officers. He also comes into contact with some of the Espada including Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Ulquiorra Cifer. As events begin to unfold, Fujimaru finds Seigen and Matsuri are still alive in Hueco Mundo and believe Aizen is correct and that the Gotei 13 should pay for Konoka’s death. After initially failing to convince either that they should come to the Soul Society, Fujimaru decides to train in order to become strong enough to convince them to return. This training is undertaken by Yoruichi Shihōin, who trains him in the same grounds and she had previously trained Ichigo Kurosaki. Through a grueling training regime Fujimaru eventually achieves his Bankai and as a special technique to deal with Arrancar is taught Shunkō by Yoruichi and Suì-Fēng. Fujimaru decides that he has the power to win his family back, although Seigen becomes more irrational and eventually tries to kill Fujimaru. As the fatal blow is about to land, Matsuri intervenes and is struck instead. After this, Fujimaru takes her to 4th Division captain, Retsu Unohana, to be healed and she finally accepts that he was right. Once Matsuri is healed and introduced to the Gotei 13 forces, she also integrates herself into the Shinigami world again. During this time, Aizen forwards his plans by allowing a monster to attack the Soul Society that is discovered to be Seigen in monstrous form. Also at this point it is discovered that Fujimaru and Matsuri’s friend Shiyo holds within her the soul of Lady Konoka. With Seigen's initial attack on Soul Society not going to plan Aizen allows Arturo Plateado to stage his own assault. The twins along with the friends they had made face Arturo again with Shiyo holding the Shisui mirror and finally defeating the Arrancar for good. This defeat was all part of Aizen's plan though and the Shisui mirror falls into his hands. With this he intends to disrupt the flow of souls between the Soul Society and the Human World. After Arturo's defeat, Fujimaru leads an expedition into Hueco Mundo to defeat Aizen. With trusted allies he faces a group of Arrancar and eventually finds Aizen, Gin, and Tōsen waiting for him with the monstrous Seigen. They fight Seigen again, but before being able to defeat him are sucked into an in-between dimension. A final battle ensues against the now gigantic Seigen monster. After putting his father's soul to rest, Fujimaru returns to the Soul Society where he is offered an official place in the Gotei 13, however, he and his sister decline the offer, preferring to settle in the Human World. Captain-Commander Yamamoto agrees to this citing a need for powerful allies in the Human World in the build up to the inevitable war with the Espada. He is later goes to Ichigo's school, where he tries and fails to learn the alphabet. Powers & Abilities Expert Swordsman: Fujimaru is a skilled swordsman, using his Shikai effectively in battle. Hakuda Combatant: Though Fujimaru only fights with a sword, he was trained extensively in Hakuda by Yoruichi Shihōin. Kidō Practitioner: Fujimaru has some skill in Kidō as he was able to learn Shunkō, and had knowledge of both Hadō and Bakudō. : : An advanced technique that combines hand-to-hand combat and Kidō, although Fujimaru uses this to amplify the power of his swordsmanship. What is known of it so far is that it can allow him to instantly neutralize an opponent's movement. Shunpo: Fujimaru is able to use Shunpo, at least on par with Lieutenant-level Shinigami. High Spiritual Power: As stated by Kisuke Urahara, Fujimaru is noted to have a high amount of spiritual power. Early in the game, he boasts a large appetite, which is a sign of high spiritual power. He was also able to learn Bankai within a short time, similar to Urahara and Ichigo. Zanpakutō has a dark blue hilt and sheath, as well as a rectangular bronze guard. Fujimaru wears his Zanpakutō on his waist, held by a white cloth. *'Shikai': Its release command is . Released, it resembles a blue Gauntlet that rises up to his elbow with exquisite gold markings, and two curved blades parallel to each other. From the knuckle forward it resembles a regular katana blade. :Shikai Special Ability: :* : Fujimaru's speed increases for a short time, allowing him to maneuver more quickly and deliver combos at a quicker rate. :* : Fujimaru swings his Zanpakutō forward, causing four geysers of flames to erupt from the ground. :* : Fujimaru raises his Zanpakutō in the air and violet energy surrounds him and engulfs anyone surrounding him. The energy itself can also randomly burn, freeze, shock, or poison anyone caught within the vicinity. *'Bankai': : In Bankai, a tiger's head envelops his right shoulder and grey strips of cloth cover his forearm. His blade is now entirely composed of blue energy, and a cape of the same color as the cloth drapes his back. Two slivers of energy float next to his left shoulder, and a disc next to his right. :Bankai Special Ability: :*'Enhanced Speed': Fujimaru's speed increases greatly, able to leave at least one afterimage of himself behind. :* . The blade of energy extends and slashes all enemies in range. Notes *During gameplay, the player is able to choose the Zanpakutō type, which are Power, Tech, and Speed, and is chosen when the player first awakens his Shikai. Each type gives his Zanpakutō a different form. If the player chooses Tech his Zanpakutō will be a whip-like weapon, with a multi-bladed axe coming out of the tip and a ring with a crescent on the end of its hilt, and its special ability will be Iryu Shosei, where the tip will detach and rain down meteor-like projectiles. If the player chooses Power it will be a scimitar with two rings at the top. This form's special ability is Ryutei Senkoku, where Fujimaru stabs the ground and causes eruptions beneath the feet of his enemy. However, the Speed-type seems to be canon, since Fujimaru is classified as this at the beginning of the game and the Speed-type Shikai can be seen in the intro and the title screen. Fujimaru would also use it if you choose to play as Matsuri. Trivia *Even though his name can be changed before starting the game, during Chapter 5, during Free time, when visiting Gin and Rangiku, Gin will call him Fujimaru during the dialog. References Category:Characters Category:Video Game Original Characters Category:Shinigami Category:Male Category:5th Division